The present invention relates to fog generating apparatus for use in a stage or entertainment center, and more specifically to a fog generating guide tube mounting arrangement for a fog generating apparatus which enables the fog generating guide tube to be conveniently detached for maintenance work.
In a stage or entertainment center, a fog generating apparatus may be used to generate fog, so as to produce a misty effect. A fog generating apparatus for this purpose generally comprises a fog generating guide tube mounted in a barrel, heating means installed in the fog generating guide tube to heat a chemical solution into fog. FIGS. 1 and 2 show the mounting arrangement of a fog generating guide tube 10 and a barrel 11 according to the prior art. The barrel 11 has a longitudinal center through hole 12, which receives the fog generating guide tube 10. The fog generating guide tube 10 has a longitudinal center through hole 14, which receives a heating element 15. After the insertion of the fog generating guide tube 10 into the barrel 11, a chemical solution input tube 16 and a fog output tube 17 are respectively connected to two opposite ends of the fog generating guide tube 10, and then the peripheries of the front end and rear end of the fog generating guide tube 10 are welded to the barrel 11, as shown at 18 and 19, respectively. When a chemical solution is delivered through the chemical solution input tube 16 into the fog generating guide tube 10, it is heated by the heating element 15 into fog which is permitted to pass through a fog passage 13 within the barrel 11 around the fog generating guide tube 10 and then to pass out of the fog generating guide tube 10 through the fog output tube 17. This arrangement has a drawback. Because the fog generating guide tube 10 is welded to the barrel 11. it cannot be detached from the barrel 11 for maintenance work. If the fog passage 13 is blocked, the whole assembly becomes useless. FIGS. 3 4 and 5 show another arrangement according to the prior art. According to this arrangement, a fog generating guide tube 21 is mounted in a barrel 20, a heating element 23 is mounted in a slot 22 inside the barrel 20 below the fog generating guide tube 21, a first connector 25 is fastened to one end of the fog generating guide tube 21 outside the barrel 20 for guiding a chemical solution from a pump to the fog generating guide tube 21, and a second connector 24 is fastened to an opposite end of the fog generating guide tube 21 and threaded with a nozzle cap 26 for output of fog. Further, a mounting plate 27 is mounted on the second connector 24 and fastened to the shell 28 of the fog generating apparatus to secure the whole assembly in place. When the fog passage in the barrel 20 is blocked, the outer cover of the fog generating apparatus must be removed from the shell 28, then the mounting plate 27 must be disconnected from the shell 28 and then removed from the second connector 24, and then the first connector 25 and the second connector 24 must be disconnected from the barrel 20 before permitting the fog generating guide tube 21 to be removed from the barrel 20 for cleaning. This arrangement makes the maintenance work difficult.